We are happy to announce that our article “Altered mitophagy biomarkers levels in the AD continuum” has been published in the prestigious journal Autophagy.

This study looked at the status of mitophagy, which is like a garbage disposal system for mitochondria (the powerhouses of cells), in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We examined samples from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood serum from 246 people, including those with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD), AD dementia, and those with normal cognition.

The findings showed that certain biomarkers of mitophagy were different in people with AD compared to those with normal cognition. Specifically, levels of a protein called PINK1 were higher in both CSF and serum of AD patients, while another protein called BNIP3L was higher in serum. On the other hand, a protein called TFEB was lower in serum. These differences were related to AD severity.

In simpler terms, the study found that there are changes in specific proteins related to cleaning up damaged mitochondria in people with AD, and these changes seem to be linked to the progression of the disease. This suggests that these proteins could potentially be used as biomarkers to help track AD in the future.